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Best wishes to the family and friends of Edward Herrmann, from a big fan. He is never to be forgotten.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Never to be Forgotten:
Edward Herrmann 1943-2014
Best wishes to the family and friends of Edward Herrmann, from a big fan. He is never to be forgotten.
31 December 2014
Bronson Pelletier b. 1986 (Twilight Saga, Dinosapien)
G. Michael Gray b. 1979 (Fringe, Smallville, Stargate: Atlantis, Supernatural, Painkiller Jane, Blade: The Series, Terminal City, Fantastic Four, A Wrinkle in Time, Jeremiah, Dark Angel)
Steve Byers b. 1976 (Alphas, Total Recall [2012], Immortals, Smallville, The Dresden Files, Mutant X, House of the Dead, Carrie [2002 TV])
Kenny Morrison b. 1974 (Star Trek: Voyager, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, The Wizard)
Jennifer Hill b. 1973 (Mutant X, Relic Hunter)
Chandra West b. 1970 (Universal Soldier II and III, Earth: Final Conflict, Kindred: The Embraced, Highlander [TV], Forever Knight, My Secret Identity, Deadly Nightmares)
Claire Lautier b. 1969 (The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell, Elf)
Bruce Ramsay b. 1966 (Continuum, Riverworld, Supernatural, Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, Island of the Dead, The Hunger [TV], Hellraiser: Bloodline, Deadly Nightmares)
Li Gong b. 1965 (2046)
Geoff Meed b. 1965 (Awake, Wonder Woman [2011 TV Movie], The Day the Earth Stood Still [2008], Resident Evil: Extinction, Star Trek: Enterprise, Buffy, Charmed, Babylon 5)
Michael McDonald b. 1964 (Invader ZIM, Carnosaur II and III, The Unborn II, Leprechaun 2)
Roberto Lombardi b. 1963 (Perfect: Android Rising, Deadpool [TV], Zombie eXs, Ghost Blunders, The Last Airbender, The Happening)
Amelia Kinkade b. 1963 (Night of the Demons I, II & III, My Best Friend Is a Vampire, Misfits of Science, Knight Rider)
Katy Karrenbauer b. 1962 (Cloud Atlas)
Val Kilmer b. 1959 (The Thaw, George and the Dragon, Red Planet, The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], Batman Forever, Willow, Real Genius)
Bebe Neuwirth b. 1958 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Jumanji, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Peter Williams b. 1957 (Fallen, Stargate: SG-1, Earthsea, Dead Like Me, Catwoman, The Chronicles of Riddick, Dark Angel, Relic Hunter, NightMan, The X-Files)
James Remar b. 1953 (From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Horns, All Superheroes Must Die, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men: First Class, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward, The Unborn, Jericho, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Robo Warrior, The Phantom, Blade: Trinity, Judge Dredd, Tales form the Crypt [TV], Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Deadly Nightmares, The Clan of the Cave Bear)
Jane Badler b. 1953 (V [1983 and 2011], The Lost World [2002 TV])
Elizabeth Norment b. 1952 died 13 October 2014 (Twilight Zone [1985], Runaway)
Tim Matheson b. 1947 (A Very Unlucky Leprechaun, Sometimes They Come Back, Drop Dead Fred, Solar Crisis, Bay Coven)
Barbara Carrera b. 1945 (Wicked Stepmother, Condorman, Embryo, The Island of Dr. Moreau [1977])
Connie Willis b. 1945 (won 1993 Hugo and Nebula for Doomsday Book, won 1999 Hugo for To Say Nothing of the Dog, won 2011 Hugo and Nebula for Blackout/All Clear)
Vernon Wells b. 1945 (Alien Hunger, Jurassic City, The Dead Undead, World’s End, Silent Night, Zombie Night, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [2006], Saurian, Power Rangers, The Education of a Vampire, Beneath Loch Ness, Billy Frankenstein, Conan [1997 TV], 2002: The Rape of Eden, Manosaurus, Circuitry Man I and II, Innerspace, Knight Rider, Weird Science, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior)
Taylor Hackford b. 1944 (director, Devil’s Advocate)
Ben Kingsley b. 1943 (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Robot Overlords, Ender’s Game, Iron Man 3, Hugo, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, A Sound of Thunder, Tuck Everlasting, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV], Species, Slipstream)
Sean S. Cunningham b. 1941 (director, Terminal Invasion, DeepStar Six, Friday the 13th)
Sarah Miles b. 1941 (Venom)
Rosalind Cash b. 1938 died 31 October 1995 (Tales from the Hood, Lois & Clark, Knight Rider, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde, The Omega Man)
Anthony Hopkins b. 1937 (Westworld [2015 TV], Thor, The Wolfman, Beowulf, Slipstream, Meet Joe Black, Dracula [1992], Freejack)
Richard Hamilton b. 1920 died 21 December 2004 (The Visitor [1997 TV], Men in Black, Resurrection)
Theresa Harris b. 1906 died 8 October 1985 (I Walked with a Zombie, Cat People [1942])
Rhys Williams b. 1897 died 28 May 1969 (The Invaders, Topper [1953 TV], Adventures of Superman, The Son of Dr. Jekyll)
Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I used a picture of Bebe Neuwirth from Star Trek: The Next Pajamas because... reasons. This year, it's the honest to Odin A-list movie star Anthony Hopkins as, well, Odin. Next year I might go with another of the stars like Val Kilmer or Ben Kingsley, I might go fabulous babe with Rosalind Cash or Jane Badler, or if I'm in and Oh That Guy mood, top of the list is James Remar.
2. Canadians spotted. There are a lot of native born Canadians today and not all the credit lists are telltale. The are Bronson Pelletier, G. Michael Gray, Steve Byers, Jennifer Hill, Chandra West and Bruce Ramsay. Peter Williams has a Canadian looking resume and may very well live there, but he was born in Jamaica.
3. Fun facts to know and tell. Producer/director Taylor Hackford is married to Helen Mirren, the lucky bastid. Connie Willis has more major sci-fi awards than Asimov.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction:"I can say with confidence that 2014 will be the year of bitcoin on Wall Street.”
Reality: Umm... no. No in a big, big way. There may be some guys on Wall Street that use Bitcoin for their hookers and blow purchases, but as an investment it's had a very bad year, most notably with the huge theft of Bitcoins from the website Mt. Gox, an event that already happened when Silbert made his "prediction". I put the word in quotes because Silbert is really a salesman of financial products, an occupation I trust only slightly more than the occupation of Bill Cosby's lawyer.
I usually don't list voice actors, though I do make exceptions. Christine Cavanaugh deserves to be an exception and sadly, she died on the 22nd of December at the age of 51. On screen, she had a guest role on The X-Files, but as a voice actor she got a lot of work, notably as the voice of the sheep pig in Babe and as Dexter in Dexter's Laboratory. She quit working about ten years ago and moved back to Utah to be closer to her family. The cause of death is not given.
Best wishes to the family and friends of Christine Cavanaugh, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
It's a new year and more importantly to the blog, a new month, so we will get a new splash illustration at the top. Fun!
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
30 December 2014
Jena Sims b. 1988 (Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader, The Vampire Diaries)
Caity Lotz b. 1986 (Arrow, The Pact II)
Faye Marsay b. 1986 (Doctor Who)
Ashley Bashioum b. 1983 (Flight of the Living Dead)
Kristin Kreuk b. 1982 (Beauty and the Beast, Space Milkshake, Vampire, Smallville, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Earthsea, Snow White: The Fairest of Them All)
Kristen DeLuca b. 1981 (Ligeia, Knight Rider [2009])
Eliza Dushku b. 1980 (The Guild, Torchwood, Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse, Tru Calling, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Tyrese Gibson b. 1978 (Transformers, Death Race)
Lucy Punch b. 1977 (Into the Woods, Fairy Tales [2008], Ella Enchanted, Dinotopia, The 10th Kingdom)
Zahf Paroo b. 1975 (Polaris, Continuum, Fringe, 10.5, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Battlestar Galactica, Andromeda, Dark Angel, Stargate SG-1)
Jason Behr b. 1973 (Skinwalkers, The Grudge, Roswell. Pleasantville, Buffy, Alien Nation: Millennium)
Daniel Sunjata b. 1971 (The Dark Knight Rises)
C.S. Lee b. 1971 (Toxin, The Unborn, Beyond, The Stepford Wives [2004])
Meredith Monroe b. 1969 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Vampires: The Turning, Minority Report, NightMan)
Bryan Burk b. 1968 (producer, Westworld [2015 TV], Star Wars: Episode VII, Believe, Fringe, Revolution, Almost Human, Cloverfield, Star Trek, Lost, Super 8, Future Shock)
Andrew Fleming b. 1965 (director, The Craft)
Sophie Ward b. 1964 (Book of Blood, Dinotopia, Crusade, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Return to Oz, The Hunger)
George Newbern b. 1964 (Jericho, Journeyman, From the Earth to the Moon, Perversions of Science)
Kelli Maroney b. 1960 (Gila!, Not of This Earth, Night of the Comet)
Tracey Ullman b. 1959 (Into the Woods, Once Upon a Mattress [2005 TV])
Ellen Sandweiss b. 1958 (The Evil Dead [1981 and 2013], Oz the Great and Powerful)
Patricia Kalember b. 1957 (Limitless, Signs, Jacob’s Ladder, Cat’s Eye)
Sheryl Lee Ralph b. 1956 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Witch Hunt, Amazing Stories, V, Wonder Woman)
Lloyd Kaufman b. 1945 (way too many Troma movies to type)
Fred Ward b. 1942 (10.5, The Crow: Salvation, Invasion: Earth, Tremors, Deadly Nightmares, UFOria, The Right Stuff, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, The Incredible Hulk)
Glyn Dearman b. 1939 died 30 November 1997 (A Christmas Carol [1951])
Jack Riley b. 1935 (Harry and the Hendersons [TV], C.H.U.D. II – Bud the Chud, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Spaceballs, ALF, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!, The Girl with Something Extra, I Dream of Jeannie)
Joseph Bologna b. 1934 (Alligator II: The Mutation, Not Quite Human, Transylvania 6-5000)
Russ Tamblyn b. 1934 (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds, Babylon 5, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Aftershock, Quantum Leap, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Necromancer, War of the Gargantuas, tom thumb)
Jack Lord b. 1920 died 21 January 1988 (The Invaders)
Jo Van Fleet b. 1914 died 10 June 1996 (Cinderella [1965 TV])
Jeanette Nolan b. 1911 died 5 June 1998 (Incredible Hulk, The Manitou, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], The Reluctant Astronaut, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Tom Keene b. 1896 died 4 August 1963 (Plan 9 from Outer Space)
Rudyard Kipling b. 1865 died 18 January 1936 (author, The Jungle Book)
Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A confession: I get these lists of names going onto imdb.com and searching actors credits for fantasy and sci-fi. Quite often, the youngest actors on the list are completely unknown to me. This list is an exception, as I knew the work of three of the women born in the 1980s before I looked them up, Jena Sims, Kristin Kreuk and Eliza Dushku. Ms. Kreuk was in The Picture Slot last year for her work on Smallville and Ms. Dushku is there this year with a publicity still from Dollhouse. There are several other good choices for 2015, though I would put Fred Ward from Tremors or The Right Stuff in the early lead.
2. Canadians spotted. Kristin Kreuk is Canadian, which often isn't true of the lead actors in Canadian genre TV. The other Canadian is Zahf Paroo, whose telltale roles include Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe and Andromeda.
3. Fun facts to know and tell. The late Glyn Dearman has a chance at the Picture Slot next year, as he was Tiny Tim in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim. I like a lot of versions of this story and this is certainly one of my favorites. It was also the one that was colorized. I'm old enough to remember a time when it looked like we'd never see any good black and white films again, all of the best would be colorized. Boy, I'm glad we dodged that bullet. The assholes with the money, most notably Ted Turner, lost that battle and lost it big. I don't get to type that sentence very often.
A little typecasting trivia. Lucy Punch has played the mean stepsister in three productions, Into the Woods, Ella Enchanted and on the Cinderella episode of the British TV show Fairy Tales. She is by no means the ugly stepsister, but she is always nasty.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: By 2010, the “geneprint” had replaced the fingerprint in police work.
Reality: This isn't worth full marks, but DNA is being used a lot more than it used to be. Most of the headline grabbing stuff is about people exonerated of crimes they were jailed for by use of DNA. I can't give full credit on this because I was just checked in for a new job and they asked for fingerprints as a condition for employment, not a DNA sample. I imagine there will be quite a stink if they ever try to switch over.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
We had a prediction earlier this of the form "2014 will be The Year of ___________." As tomorrow is the last day, we can judge whether the prediction was true or not.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Monday, December 29, 2014
29 December 2014
Dylan Minnette b. 1996 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Awake, Let Me In, Lost, Supernatural)
Jane Levy b. 1989 (Evil Dead [2013])
Iain De Caestecker b. 1987 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Charlotte Riley b. 1981 (Edge of Tomorrow)
Danny McBride b. 1976 (This Is the End, Land of the Lost)
Jason Shane-Scott b. 1976 (666: Devilish Charm, Return of the Killer Shrews, The Pit and the Pendulum, Deadland, Charmed)
Shawn Hatosy b. 1975 (The Faculty)
Mekhi Phifer b. 1974 (Insurgent, Divergent, Torchwood, Dawn of the Dead)
Jude Law b. 1972 (Hugo, Contagion, Repo Men, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, eXistenZ, Gattaca)
Leonor Varela b. 1972 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Monster Wolf, Blade II, Stargate: Atlantis, Jeremiah)
Patrick Fischler b. 1969 (Grimm, Lost, Idiocracy, Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, Birds of Prey, Charmed)
Jennifer Ehle b. 1969 (RoboCop [2014], Contagion, The Adjustment Bureau)
Andy Wachowski b. 1967 (director, Sense8, Jupiter Ascending, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, The Matrix)
Alexandra Kamp-Groenveld b. 1966 (Vampire, Dracula 3000, Deep Freeze, 2001: A Space Travesty)
Dave McKean b. 1963 (director, Luna, MirrorMask)
Patricia Clarkson b. 1959 (The Maze Runner, Carrie [2002 TV], Wendigo, The Green Mile, Jumanji, Tales from the Crypt [1990 TV])
Brian Sergent b. 1959 (The Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Rings, The Ray Bradbury Theatre)
Paul Rudnick b. 1957 (writer, The Stepford Wives [2004], Addams Family Values)
M.H. b. 1955 (blogger)
Jon Polito b. 1950 (Super Capers: The Origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, Rock Monster, The Chronicle, The Invisible Man [2000 TV], Good vs Evil, Millennium, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Tales of the Mummy, NightMan, Invasion, The Invaders [1995 TV], Blankman, The Crow, Tales from the Crypt, The Rocketeer, Highlander, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, C.H.U.D.)
Ted Danson b. 1947 (Living with the Dead, Loch Ness, Gulliver’s Travels, Tucker’s Witch, Creepshow, The Amazing Spider-Man [1979 TV])
Jon Voight b. 1938 (Dracula: The Dark Prince, National Treasure, Transformers, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Anaconda)
Barbara Steele b. 1937 (Dark Shadows [TV], Piranha, She Beast, Castle of Blood, Nightmare Castle, Castle of Blood, The Ghost, Pit and the Pendulum, Black Sunday)
Ed Flanders b. 1934 died 22 February 1995 (The Exorcist III, Tomorrow’s Child, Salem’s Lot)
Inga Swenson b. 1932 (Bay Coven, Earth II)
Bernard Cribbins b. 1928 (Doctor Who, Alice in Wonderland [1985], Space: 1999, Dalek’s Invasion of Earth 2150 A.D.)
Dina Merrill b. 1923 (Mighty Joe Young [1998], Tales of the Unexpected, Anna to the Infinite Power, Batman)
Mike Nussbaum b. 1923 (Men in Black, The X Files)
Viveca Lindfors b. 1920 died 25 October 1995 (Stargate, The Exorcist III, Frankenstein’s Aunt, Creepshow, The Hand, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Freda Jackson b. 1907 died 20 October 1990 (Clash of the Titans [1981], Blakes 7, The Valley of Gwangi, Monster of Terror, The Brides of Dracula)
Notes from birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was scream queen Barbara Steele. This year, it's Oh That Guy Jon Polito, who I remember from a lot of roles in Coen Brothers movies as well as The Chronicle, a low budget show produced by The Sci-Fi Channel back when they had a Friday night line-up. Next year has several good options including Jude Law, Iain De Caestecker from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Ted Danson from Gulliver's Travels.
2. Fun facts to know and tell. I think of Jennifer Ehle as being quintessentially British from her role as Elizabeth Bennett in the 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice, but she was born in North Carolina. Her mother is the British actress Rosemary Harris. It's nice to see we have two people celebrating their 91st birthdays, the divine Dina Merrill and Mike Nussbaum, who I remember from early David Mamet films Things Change and House of Games.
3. Canadian free zone. It's rare but it happens.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movies released
12 Monkeys released, 1995
Prediction: Moving sidewalks will not gain widespread acceptance as urban transportation until the Variflex Moving Sidewalk is developed for practical use in the early 1990s. This particular sidewalk function under a variable width, variable speed system. It travels at slightly faster than walking speed on approach and departure, but accelerates from about two miles an hour to over ten miles an hour at maximum speeds. Cross walks will have slow zones. More complex systems will add speed lanes, creating multiple sidewalk highways. They will replace sidewalks in shopping areas, airports and large public buildings.
Reality: Ummm... no. They exist in airports, they aren't multiple speeds. Maintaining them outside would be expensive. There are four popular ideas that pop up regularly in futuristic stories and predictions. I personally love flying cars and pneumatic tubes, but moving sidewalks and food in pill form hold no attraction for me.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Another prediction from W. Warren Wagar's A Brief History of the Future.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Never to be Forgotten:
David Ryall 1935-2014
Best wishes to the family and friends of David Ryall, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.
28 December 2014
Mackenzie Rosman b. 1989 (Ghost Shark, Fading of the Cries, The Tomb)
Andrew Jenkins b. 1988 (Supernatural, Stormworld, Zombie Punch)
Thomas Dekker b. 1987 (Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Star Trek: Generations, Village of the Damned, Star Trek: Voyager)
Hannah Toiton b. 1987 (Penny Dreadful, Sinbad, The Lost Future, Genie in the House)
Adam Gregory b. 1987 (Dystopia: 2013, 17 Again, The Wizards of Waverly Place)
Beau Garrett b. 1982 (TRON: Legacy, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Unearthed)
Sienna Miller b. 1981 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Stardust)
Vanessa Ferlito b. 1980 (Spider-Man 2)
Bree Williamson b. 1979 (Haven, Mutant X, Odyssey 5, Earth: Final Conflict)
Noomi Rapace b. 1979 (Prometheus 1 and 2)
Joe Manganiello b. 1976 (True Blood, Spider-Man 1 and 3)
Brendan Hines b. 1976 (The Middleman, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Angel)
Seth Meyers b. 1973 (Journey to the Center of the Earth)
Elaine Hendrix b. 1970 (Kids vs. Monsters, Futurestates, The Chronicle, The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas)
Josephine Byrnes b. 1966 (The Matrix Reloaded, The Lost World [2001 TV], Thunderstone)
Terri Garber b. 1960 (SnakeHead Swamp, Quantum Leap, Twilight Zone [1988])
Phil Abrams b. 1959 (The Big Bang Theory, Lost, The Island, Birds of Prey, Roswell, The X-Files)
Denzel Washington b. 1954 (The Book of Eli, Virtuosity, Heart Condition)
Dame Maggie Smith b. 1934 (Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee Returns, From Time to Time, The Secret Garden, Hook, Clash of the Titans)
Nichelle Nichols b. 1933 (The Cabonauts, Heroes, Surge of Power, Good vs Evil, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, Star Trek, The Supernaturals)
Martin Milner b. 1931 (RoboCop [TV], 13 Ghosts, Twilight Zone, On the Threshold of Space)
Pamela Duncan b. 1924 died 11 November 2005 (The Undead, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger)
Andrew Duggan b. 1923 died 15 May 1988 (A Return to Salem’s Lot, Frankenstein Island, Wonder Woman, A Fire in the Sky, The Time Machine [1978 TV Movie], The Bionic Woman, It Lives Again, Project U.F.O., It’s Alive, The Invaders, The Incredible Mr. Limpet)
Stan Lee b. 1922 (Marvel Comics)
Kim Chan b. 1917 died 5 October 2008 (The Fifth Element, Robot in the Family)
Charles Maxwell b. 1913 died 7 August 1993 (Star Trek, My Favorite Martian, World of Giants, Adventures of Superman)
Lew Ayres b. 1908 died 30 December 1996 (Donovan’s Brain, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, The Questor Tapes, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Damien: Omen II, Battlestar Galactica)
F.W. Murnau b. 1888 died 11 March 1931 (director, Nosferatu)
Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Yesterday, I whined that there weren't a lot of iconic people whose birthday was two days after Christmas. I'm not whining today. Last year used Nichelle Nichols, absolutely iconic and a fabulous babe to boot and none could say nay. (Fun fact to know and tell: At 16, she was a singer with the Duke Ellington orchestra.) This year, I give a tip of the hat to the oldest living birthday boy here, Stan Lee, now 92 and looking pretty darned good. As for next year, I would argue Dame Maggie Smith from Harry Potter is the most iconic person I haven't used yet, but that means shutting out A-list movie star Denzel Washington. The list also has two great Oh That Guys, Andrew Duggan and Lew Ayres. I wouldn't be adverse to using a poster of Nosferatu to honor F.W. Murnau and among the younger folk, I'd say Joe Manganiello from True Blood is most iconic.
2. Spot the Canadians! There are two. I give the hint that they are both born after 1975.
Best wishes to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: In 1963 a worldwide drought causes a famine, leading to a nuclear war in 1965 between the superstates of Americanada and Europasia. The novel focuses almost exclusively on a reporter and his fiance, struggling to survive in the devastated urban landscape. As the title indicates, the book's theme is the gradual emergence of the bestial nature of the protagonist as civilization crumbles. Beginning as a decent, heroic defender of pure womanhood, he evolves into the notorious leader of a marauding tribe devoted to rape and pillage. After his first wife dies (he later acquires five), he turns savage and is hunted down by an armed expedition seeking to reestablish civilization. At the end of the novel he is depicted as apelike. The narrative does not conclude with his death, however. Even this relentlessly grim tale ends on a hopeful note by depicting a peace loving group led by a kindly old guru, the reporter's former editor, who used to write bloodthirsty editorials advocating war.
Reality: Ooh, we could play Spot the Canadian publisher, but I gave too much of a spoiler. Why don't we ever have post-apocalyptic heaven-holes, places where folks figure out they can live together and be decent to one another? Ah, well, such is life.
As regular readers will know when the plot summaries are this detailed, I nicked this prediction from Professor Paul Brians great nuclear holocaust database. I still have plenty more of his work, but I'm going give the blog a little rest from the weekly doom and gloom, though I will be bringing it back by and by. As of next Sunday, we will have a new Sunday regular predictor who is, in fact, a previous regular everyone will recognize.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
It's Monday yet again, and I get the treat of dipping into the OMNI Future Almanac to see what they thought life in the early 21st Century would look like.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
27 December 2014
Laurence Belcher b. 1995 (X-Men: First Class, Doctor Who, The Shadow Within)
Olivia Cooke b. 1993 (The Quiet Ones, The Signal)
Casey Campbell b. 1993 (10,000 Days, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World)
Jessica Harmon b. 1985 (Supernatural, Arrow, Chupacabra vs. the Alamo, Kyle XY, Battlestar Galactica, The New Addams Family)
Marek Oravec b. 1983 (Captain America: The First Avenger, Torchwood)
Emilie de Ravin b. 1981 (Once Upon a Time, Lost, The Hills Have Eyes, Carrie [2002 TV], Roswell, BeastMaster [TV])
Sitara Hewitt b. 1981 (Lost Girl)
Lisa Jakub b. 1978 (Independence Day, Matinee, War of the Worlds [1990 TV], Twilight Zone [1989 TV], Once Upon a Giant)
Noah Cappe b. 1977 (Defiance, Bitten, The Good Witch, The Fifth Quadrant)
Aaron Stanford b. 1975 (12 Monkeys [2015 TV], The Hills Have Eyes, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men 2)
Heather O’Rourke b. 1975 died 1 February 1988 (Poltergeist I, II and III)
Kylee Cochran b. 1974 (The Crow: Salvation)
Thomas Wilson Brown b. 1972 (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)
Alex Skuby b. 1972 (Pandemic, Angel, Buffy)
Chyna b. 1969 (Illegal Aliens, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Relic Hunter, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Alien Fury: Countdown to Invasion)
John Henry Canavan b. 1969 (True Blood, Lost, Odyssey 5, Relic Hunter, The New Addams Family)
Mitzi Martin b. 1967 (The Island, S1m0ne, Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Eva LaRue b. 1966 (RoboCop 3, They Came from Outer Space [1991 TV], Freddy’s Nightmares, The Barbarians)
Theresa Randle b. 1964 (Spawn, Space Jam, Near Dark)
Melissa Moore b. 1963 (Hellborn, Vampire Cop, Repossessed, The Invisible Maniac, Evil Spawn)
Shashawnee Hall b. 1961 (The Amazing Spider-Man, M.A.N.T.I.S., Lois & Clark, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Manimal)
Maryam D’Abo b. 1960 (Dorian Gray, Timelock, Space Precinct, Tales from the Crypt [1993 TV], Something Is Out There, Arthur the King, Xtro)
Barbara Crampton b. 1958 (The Lords of Salem, Space Truckers, Robot Wars, Trancers II, From Beyond, Re-Animator)
Tovah Feldshuh b. 1952 (Lady in the Water, Once Upon a Classic, The World of Darkness)
Aharon Ipale b. 1951 (The Mummy, Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight, Knight Rider, Salvage 1, Wonder Woman)
Charles Band b. 1951 (producer/director, Re-Animator, Crawlspace, Puppet Master, Demonic Toys, Trancers, Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, Parasite)
Kent Williams b. 1950 (WarGames, Time After Time)
Gerard Depardieu b. 1948 (Falconman, Babylon A.D., Witches to the North)
Ciaran Madden b. 1945 (Star Maidens, The Beast Must Die, Gawain and the Green Knight)
John Amos b. 1939 (Zombie Hamlet, Voodoo Moon, The Beastmaster, Future Cop)
Jean Hale b. 1938 (Batman, My Favorite Martian)
Guy Rolfe b. 1911 died 19 October 2003 (The Bride, Space: 1999)
Thea von Harbou b. 1888 died 1 July 1954 (writer, Metropolis)
Notes from the birthday list
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, the Picture Slot was given to the late Heather O'Rourke from the Poltergeist movies. This year it's Emilie de Raven from Lost. I have to admit there aren't a lot of iconic genre roles amongst today list of artists, but I think Thea von Harbou's work as the writer of Metropolis puts her in the lead position. She was the wife of director Fritz Lang.
2. The Canadian onslaught. There are five Canadians on today's list, though some have not done enough roles to be easily spotted. Jessica Harmon, Sitara Hewitt, Lisa Jacub, Noah Cappe and John Henry Canavan are all born in The Great White North.
3. Hey, no Star Trek! It happens, but not often.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: In is quite within the bounds of possibility that, by the year 1993, the mechanical work of publishing newspapers will be done entirely with electricity... it is possible the reporter and editor will no longer be compelled to write, Rather, the spoken word may be imprisoned in cold type.
Reality: Edwards didn't go crazy here, since he thought people in 1793 wouldn't have a had a chance to predict 1893. He's right about electricity, but speaking into a machine that writes is still not widespread. Of course, there is spoken word news on the radio and TV, but that's not what he was predicting. Making those predictions in 1893 before radio and moving pictures exist would have taken a very active imagination, and that wasn't Edwards' style.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
While 27 December has a sparse choice of iconic artists, 28 December is overflowing. Just one of those things.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Friday, December 26, 2014
26 December 2014
Zach Mills b. 1995 (Super 8, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium)
Kit Harington b. 1986 (Game of Thrones, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D)
Roxanne Pallett b. 1982 (Devil’s Tower, Crystal Skull, Lake Placid 3)
Eugene Khumbanyiwa b. 1976 (District 9)
Joshua John Miller b. 1974 (Class of 1999, Teen Witch, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Greatest American Hero)
Josie Ho b. 1974 (Contagion)
Micha Hauptman b. 1973 (Supernatural, Iron Man)
Jared Leto b. 1971 (Mr. Nobody)
Danielle Cormack b. 1970 (Legend of the Seeker, Xena, Cleopatra 2525, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Amazon High)
Graham Shiels b. 1970 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Arrow, Thor: The Dark World, Hydra, True Blood, Charmed)
Tricia Leigh Fisher b. 1968 (No Ordinary Family, C.H.U.D. II – Bud the Chud)
Steve Le Marquand b. 1967 (Farscape)
Sandra Taylor b. 1966 (Batman & Robin)
John Lynch b. 1961 (Merlin [2012], Night Wolf, Black Death, Alien Hunter, The Secret of Roan Inish, Chimera)
Tahnee Welch b. 1961 (Johnny 2.0, Cocoon 1 & 2)
Temuera Morrison b. 1960 (Green Lantern, Star Wars: Episodes II & III, The Island of Dr. Moreau)
Fred Schepisi b. 1939 (director, Iceman)
Robert V. Barron b. 1932 died 1 December 2000 (Quantum Leap, Frankenstein: The College Years, Alien Nation [TV], Out of This World, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Supernaturals, Amazing Stories)
Donald Moffat b. 1930 (Twilight Zone [1985], The Right Stuff, The Thing [1982], Popeye, Logan’s Run [TV], Exo-Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Terminal Man)
Denis Quilley b. 1927 died 5 October 2003 (Timeslip)
Akihiko Hirata b. 1927 died 25 July 1984 (Godzilla, Rodan, The Mysterians, The H-Man, Mothra, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Atragon, Ghidorah, Ultraman, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla)
Shirley Patterson (aka Shawn Smith) b. 1922 died 4 April 1995 (It! The Terror from Beyond Space, World Without End, The Land Unknown, Batman [1943])
Sean Sullivan b. 1921 died 3 June 1985 (The Dead Zone, The Starlost, Dr. Frankenstein on Campus, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Richard Widmark b. 1914 died 24 March 2008 (Coma [1978], Twilight’s Last Gleaming)
Elisha Cook Jr. b. 1903 died 18 May 1995 (ALF, Twilight Zone [1986], Salem’s Lot, The Bionic Woman, Blacula, Rosemary’s Baby, Star Trek, Batman [1966], House on Haunted Hill, Adventures of Superman)
Vladimir Sokoloff b. 1889 died 15 February 1962 (Twilight Zone, Beyond the Time Barrier, Sabu and the Magic Ring, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Monster from Green Hell, Queen of Atlantis)
Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I went with Akihiko Hirata from the original Godzilla movie, and this year it's Kit Harington from Game of Thrones. During the last hockey season, Mr. Harington was in the stands at a Maple Leafs. A cameraman spotted him and this caption was put under his picture.
JON SNOW
Ned Stark's bastard, knows nothing
Well, I laughed anyway.
Next year, I'll probably use Oh That Guy Elisha Cook Jr. in his role from the original Star Trek.
2. Hard to spot Canadians. Graham Shiels is Canadian, but the resume doesn't give it away. Sean Sullivan was Canadian, but he died in 1985, which is a little before the Canadian genre TV trend became a full fledged industry.
Try spotting the Kiwis instead! There are two and I think they can be sussed out.
3. Fun fact to know and tell. I haven't trained my Word or Blogger spell-checkers, so they will ask about the spelling of Battlestar and Galactica and Farscape and Stargate and many other words that often show up here. In the case of Akihiko Hirata's credits, the spellchecker completely accepts Godzilla as a word, but the other Japanese monster names are marked as unknown. From this I surmise that Godzilla has truly become an icon, while Ghidorah and Mothra are still in the realm of nerd knowledge.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: It is improbable that ever again will any flushed undignified man with a vast voice, a muscular face in incessant operation, collar crumpled, hair disordered, and arms in wild activity, talking, talking, talking, talking copiously out of the windows of railway carriages, talking on railway platforms, talking from hotel balconies, talking on tubs, barrels, scaffoldings, pulpits--tireless and undammable--rise to be the most powerful thing in any democratic state in the world.
Reality: The description doesn't match them exactly, I'd say Lenin, Hitler and Castro fit the description of this improbable person fairly well.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Around the holidays, I have to check the calendar to tell what day it is, but tomorrow is Saturday and we go back to 1893, for modest facial hair and a modest prediction.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
25 December 2014
Georgia Moffett b. 1984 (The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, Merlin, Doctor Who)
Hal Scardino b. 1984 (The Indian in the Cupboard)
Moneca Delain b. 1981 (Supernatural, Painkiller Jane, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Mysterious Ways)
Patrick Brennan b. 1972 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2)
Klea Scott b. 1968 (Minority Report, UFO Kidnapped)
Dean Cameron b. 1962 (American Horror Story, Deep Core, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, They Came from Outer Space, ALF)
Jillie Mack b. 1957 (Tales from the Darkside, The Wizard)
CCH Pounder b. 1952 (Warehouse 13, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Avatar, End of Days, NetForce, House of Frankenstein [1997 TV], White Dwarf, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, The X-Files, RoboCop 3, Quantum Leap)
Sissy Spacek b. 1949 (An American Haunting, The Ring Two, Tuck Everlasting, Carrie)
Stuart Wilson b. 1946 (Dinotopia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Space: 1999, UFO)
Paul Wilson b. 1945 (The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: Voyager, The X Files, Circuitry Man I & II, The Munsters Today, 976-EVIL, My Best Friend Is a Vampire)
Gary Sandy b. 1945 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Troll)
Rick Berman b. 1945 (writer, Star Trek)
Mabel King b. 1932 died 9 November 1999 (Dead Men Don’t Die, Black Vampire, Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stories, The Wiz)
Dick Miller b. 1928 (Trail of the Screaming Forehead, Route 666, Small Soldiers, The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy, Weird Science [TV], Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lois & Clark, Matinee, Eerie, Indiana, The Flash [TV], Freddy’s Nightmares, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Innerspace, Amazing Stories, Gremlins 1 & 2, Night of the Creeps, Explorers, The Terminator, V; The Final Battle, Space Raiders, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Heartbeeps, The Howling, X; The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, The Little Shop of Horrors[1961], War of the Satellites, The Undead, Not of this Earth, It Conquered the World)
Rod Serling b. 1924 died 28 July 1975 (writer, The Twilight Zone, Time Travelers, Planet of the Apes)
Dean Ellis b. 1920 died 12 October 2009 (illustrator)
Mike Mazurki b. 1907 died 9 December 1990 (Alligator, Land of the Giants, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, It’s About Time, Mr. Terrific, The Munsters, Zotz!, The Canterville Ghost [1944])
Frank Ferguson b. 1906 died 12 September 1978 (Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, Topper [1954 TV], Adventures of Superman, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein)
Barton MacLane b. 1902 died 1 January 1969 (I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Cry of the Werewolf, The Mummy’s Ghost, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Walking Dead [1936])
Humphrey Bogart b. 1899 died 14 January 1957 (The Return of Doctor X)
Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I used Rod Serling, who would always be my first choice on this list for his importance to the genre, most especially on TV. The second most important name in terms of TV genre is Rick Berman, who has worked on nearly every Star Trek project since The Next Generation began.
My most obvious choice for this year would be Sissy Spacek, who is both a movie star and has an iconic role in genre in Carrie. But I'd like to point out the great selection of Oh That Guys who were born on Christmas. Paul Wilson was a semi-regular on Cheers, Mike Mazurki was almost always a thug and was a regular on the 1960s sitcom It's About Time, Frank Ferguson got a lot of work in Westerns and Barton MacLane was General Peterson on I Dream of Jeannie. I should also note that CCH Pounder is a great Oh That Gal, though given how many TV shows on which she has been a regular, she may now be at the "Hey, it's CCH Pounder!" level of fame.
But the king of the Oh That Guys born this day is Dick Miller, shown here in his last moment on screen in The Terminator, though certainly not his last moment on screen in his career. Mr Miller turns 86 this year and I'm sure all my readers will join me in wishing him a Merry Christmas, happy birthday and thanks for a great career.
2. Spot the Canadian. There's just the one and the list of credits does give it away. Answer in the comments later today.
3. Fun facts to know and tell. Bogart in sci-fi? Oh, yes. I was an insane completist as a kid when it comes to Bogart movies and he made a lot of B-movies for Warner Brothers before his breakout roles in High Sierra, The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca made him a bankable movie star. He plays a mad scientist/vampire. Another interesting tidbit is Jillie Mack, who has only a few credits to her name and is better known as Tom Selleck's wife. They met on the set of Magnum, P.I.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories. And to my readers, Merry Christmas, or if you are a complete Scrooge, happy Isaac Newton's birthday.
Movies released
Children of Men released 2006
Gulliver’s Travels released, 2010
Into the Woods released 2014
Prediction: In 2006, the Guinevere One is scheduled to land on Mars, but goes missing as the Sycorax invade Earth.
Reality: This was the introductory episode for David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. I know that Doctor Who and reality and two great tastes that do NOT go well together, but I'd like to point out that the British as a space exploring nation is a complete non-starter in the 21st Century.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Back to the regular schedule and a prediction from young H.G. Wells in 1902.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
24 December 2014
Laura Aikman b. 1985 (The Hatching, Demons, Virtual Sexuality)
Michael Raymond-James b. 1977 (Once Upon a Time, The Walking Dead, True Blood)
Stephenie Meyer b. 1973 (writer, The Host, Twilight Saga)
Matt Passmore b. 1973 (Son of the Mask)
Carmen Moore b. 1972 (Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Kyle XY, Stargate: Atlantis, Flash Gordon [TV], Journey to the Center of the Earth [2008 TV], Eureka, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, The 4400, The Robinsons: Lost in Space, Andromeda, Seven Days, First Wave, Stargate SG-1)
Amuary Nolasco b. 1970 (Transformers, Early Edition)
Mark Millar b. 1969 (writer, Kick-Ass, Superman: Red Son, Wanted)
Diedrich Bader b. 1966 (The Starving Games, Vampires Suck, Evil Alien Conquerors, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Mark Valley b. 1965 (Fringe, The 4400, Brimstone)
Wade Williams b. 1961 (Touch, The Dark Knight Rises, Astronauts, Star Trek: Enterprise, Buffy, Charmed, The X Files, Good vs Evil, What Planet Are You From?, Seven Days, Star Trek: Voyager, NightMan)
Scott Spiegel b. 1957 (Drag Me to Hell, Spider-Man 1 & 2, Darkman, Lionheart, Robot Ninja, The Dead Next Door, Evil Dead I and II)
Julius Tennon b. 1953 (Small Soldiers)
Timothy Carhart b. 1953 (Strange World, The X Files, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, The Manhattan Project, Ghostbusters)
Nicholas Meyer b. 1945 (director, Time After Time, Star Trek II, The Day After, Faerie Tale Theatre, Star Trek VI)
Sharon Farrell b. 1940 (Freddy’s Nightmares, Small & Frye, Man from Atlantis, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Six Million Dollar Man, It’s Alive, I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian)
Christiane Schmidtmer b. 1939 died 13 March 2003 (Wonder Woman, The Giant Spider Invasion)
Ava Gardner b. 1922 died 25 January 1990 (On the Beach, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, One Touch of Venus)
Fritz Leiber b. 1910 died 5 September 1992 (won 1958 Hugo for The Big Time and 1965 Hugo for The Wanderer)
Michael Curtiz b. 1886 died 10 April 1962 (director, Doctor X)
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year I used Fritz Leiber, an important writer in the history of sci-fi. This year it's Ava Gardner, one of the great beauties in film history, pictured here from One Touch of Venus. Sci-fi and fantasy films were rare back in the day, especially big budget ones that would star someone of Ava Gardner's stature.
As for next year... we are not overflowing with actors in iconic roles here. I might well go with a poster from one of Nicholas Meyer's Star Trek movies.
2. Spot the Canadian! There are a few lists of credits here that have a certain whiff of Canadian origin, but only one with a full-bodied Canadian flavor. The answer will be in comments later today.
3. Fun facts to know and tell. I clicked on Ava Gardner's credits knowing she was in On the Beach and was a little surprised to find the other credits. But the real surprise was Michael Curtiz, an A-list director who directed all kinds of movies, from Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart to Jim Thorpe -- All-American with Burt Lancaster to King Creole with Elvis Presley. I didn't expect any genre movies in his credits, but the 1932 Doctor X is counted as sci-fi. I had no idea.
4. The Gal at the Door. Sharon Farrell, a beautiful actress whose heyday was the 1960s and 1970s, is celebrating her 74th birthday today. Everyone older than she is dead and everyone younger is alive, so that makes her The Gal at the Door. As always, special wishes for long life to anyone on a birthday list in that situation.
Many happy returns to all the living on this, most especially to Sharon Farrell, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: Near Christmas of 1919, the steamship Niagara is found, apparently abandoned fifty miles from Sydney. There are three survivors, who ask to be returned to Australia, claiming a plague had taken the lives of the rest of the crew.
Reality: Spoiler alert... the survivors are vampires. I'm not exactly sure why a vampire story has to be set in the future, but this one was. Go figure.
The prolific director Joseph Sargent died at the age of 90 last Monday the 22nd. His genre credits are Salem Witch Trials, Space, Tomorrow’s Child, Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Invaders and one episode of the original Star Trek series, The Corbomite Maneuver. Fans will remember this is one of the first times Kirk bluffed an enemy and that no one ever called Kirk's bluffs.
Best wishes to the family and friends of Joseph Sargent. He is never to be forgotten.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
It's that most wonderful time of the year for invasions of earth, according to Doctor Who.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
23 December 2014
Conor Carroll b. 1998 (Ender’s Game)
Spencer Daniels b. 1992 (Star Trek [2009], The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Adnan Haskovic b. 1984 (Snowpiercer)
Summer Altice b. 1979 (Chillerama, The Scorpion King)
Estella Warren b. 1978 (Beauty and the Beast [2009], Planet of the Apes)
Josh Cowdery b. 1978 (Godzilla [2014], Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s The Avengers)
Corey Haim b. 1971 died 10 March 2010 (Merlin [1998 TV], Watchers, The Lost Boys, Silver Bullet)
Martha Byrne b. 1969 (Anna to the Infinite Power)
Joan Severence b. 1958 (American Horror Story, Black Scorpion I and II, Tales from the Crypt, Deadly Nightmares, Max Headroom)
Nej Adamson b. 1958 (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Doctor Who)
Stefan Arngrim b. 1955 (Arrow, Fringe, Supernatural, V [2009], Flash Gordon [TV], Battlestar Galactica: Razor, The Fog. Earthsea, Dead Like Me, Seven Days, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Strange Days, Highlander [TV], Fear No Evil, Land of the Giants)
Cheryl Howard b. 1953 (Apollo 13, Willow, Splash)
Susan Lucci b. 1946 (Ebbie)
Charles Herbert b. 1948 (Twilight Zone, 13 Ghosts, Men Into Space, The Fly, The Colossus of New York, The Monster That Challenged the World)
Harry Shearer b. 1943 (Seven Days, Godzilla [1998], ALF, The Right Stuff, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Peter Medak b. 1937 (director, Carnivale, Species II, Beauty and the Beast [1987], Faerie Tale Theatre, Twilight Zone [1986], Otherworld, The Changeling, Space: 1999)
James Stacy b. 1936 (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
Frederic Forrest b. 1936 (It Lives Again, Dark Shadows [1970])
Ronnie Schell b. 1931 (Soupernatural, Phil of the Future, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Mork & Mindy, Love at First Bite)
Harry Guardino b. 1925 died 17 July 1995 (Wonder Woman, Future Cop, The Outer Limits)
Alan North b. 1920 died 19 January 2000 (Highlander, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Robert McCall b. 1919 died 26 February 2010 (artist, LIFE magazine, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
James Gregory b. 1911 died 16 September 2002 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Maurice Denham b. 1909 died 24 July 2002 (Doctor Who, Countess Dracula, Blood Beast from Outer Space)
Arthur Dudley Vinton b. 1852 died 12 September 1906 (author, Looking Further Backward)
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was an illustration of Robert McCall's from one of the 2001: A Space Odyssey posters. This year, it's Estella Warren from the reboot of Planet of the Apes because... purdy. Next year, I think it will be either Stefan Arngrim from Land of the Giants or James Gregory from Star Trek or maybe Corey Haim from The Lost Boys.
2. What's with all the child actors? The two youngest on the list, Conor Carrol and Spencer Daniels, both worked as child actors not surprisingly, but so did Stefan Arngrim, Charles Herbert and to my surprise, Harry Shearer.
3. Canadians spotted! All three Canadians on the list have already been mentioned, Estella Warren, the late Corey Haim and Stefan Arngrim from Land of the Giants, who has made a successful career for himself, the only one that has strong Canadian genre tendencies.
4. Fun facts to know and tell. Cheryl Howard is Ron Howard's sister, a family that believes deeply in nepotism, as did the Bridges under father Lloyd's tutelage. Susan Lucci's one genre credit is a gender switch of Scrooge. Arthur Dudley Vinton wrote an "answer" novel to Edward Bellamy's very popular 1888 novel Looking Backward. We will be seeing some of his predictions in the new year. Ronnie Schell is a San Francisco Bay Area native who billed himself in the 1960s as "America's slowest rising comedian". He got a regular role on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. and kept working steadily ever since, both in front of the camera and in voice work.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: The world's population will reach six billion in 1998 and seven billion in 2011.
Reality: The dates for these milestones given from the sources found online were 1999 for six billion and 2012 for seven. I won't quibble here, that's very good work.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Another interruption of the weekly schedule for a prediction of creepy happenings in Australia.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Monday, December 22, 2014
22 December 2014
Logan Huffman b. 1989 (V [2011])
Greg Finley b. 1984 (The Flash, Starcrossed, Hypothermia)
Brooke Nevin b. 1982 (The 4400, Supernatural, Smallville, Charmed, Animorphs)
Chris Carmack b. 1980 (The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations, Smallville)
Omar J. Dorsey b. 1975 (Race to Witch Mountain)
Heather Donahue b. 1974 (Manticore, Taken, The Blair Witch Project)
Traci Dinwiddie b. 1973 (Zombies VS. Ninjas: The Web Series, Supernatural, Target Earth)
Ivan Kamaras b. 1972 (Dracula [2013 TV], World War Z, Hellboy II: The Golden Army)
Pat Mastroianni b. 1971 (Bitten, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Godzilla [1998], War of the Worlds [1990 TV])
Deborah Twiss b. 1971 (School of Rock: Zombie Etiquette, Kick-Ass, Fringe)
Dina Meyer b. 1968 (Piranha 3D, Birds of Prey, Star Trek: Nemesis, Bats, Starship Troopers, DragonHeart, Johnny Mnemonic)
David S. Goyer b. 1965 (writer, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Constantine, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, FlashForward, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Threshold, Blade, Blade II, The Puppet Masters, FreakyLinks, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield, Dark City, Demonic Toys, Perversions of Science, The Crow: City of Angels)
Sergi Lopez b. 1965 (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Ralph Fiennes b. 1962 (Wrath of the Titans, Harry Potter, Clash of the Titans, Nanny McPhee Returns, Strange Days)
Lenny von Dohlen b. 1958 (Red Dwarf, The Flash [1991], Dracula’s Widow, Tales from the Darkside)
Hugh Quarshie b. 1954 (Doctor Who, BeastMaster [TV], Jason and the Argonauts [2000 TV], Star Wars: Episode 1 – Yes That One Again, Wing Commander, The Tomorrow People, Nightbreed, Highlander)
Gregor Fisher b. 1953 (Nineteen Eighty-Four [1984])
Jay Brazeau b. 1953 (Jinxed, Supernatural, Eureka, Watchmen, Stargate: Atlantis, House of the Dead, Taken, Mysterious Ways, Stargate SG-1, First Wave, Seven Days, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Strange Luck, Sliders, The Odyssey, The X Files, Highlander [TV], It)
Dan and Don Stanton b. 1952 (Lois & Clark, Mom and Dad Save the World, Eerie, Indiana, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Gremlins 2: The New Batch)
Graham Beckel b. 1949 (Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, The Astronaut Farmer, Strange World, Fallen, Amerika, C.H.U.D.)
Lynne Thigpen b. 1948 died 12 March 2003 (Bicentennial Man, Blankman)
Hector Elizondo b. 1936 (Tales from the Crypt [TV], Amazing Stories)
Bill Saito b. 1936 died 14 November 2012 (Night Rider, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Peggie Castle b. 1927 died 11 August 1973 (World of Giants, Back from the Dead, Beginning of the End)
Ruth Roman b. 1922 died 9 September 1999 (The Day of the Animals, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], The Outer Limits)
Barbara Billingsley b. 1915 died 16 October 2010 (Mysterious Ways, Amazing Stories, Mork & Mindy)
Emil Sitka b. 1914 died 16 January 1998 (My Favorite Martian, The Three Stooges in Orbit)
Fred Wilcox b. 1906 died 23 September 1964 (director, Forbidden Planet)
Noel Howlett b. 1902 died 26 October 1984 (Pardon My Genie, Five Million Miles to Earth, The Kiss of the Vampire, Quatermass and the Pit, A Christmas Carol [1951])
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Geezer that I am, it's not uncommon for me to look at the birthday list and think only actors older than I am have iconic roles. On today's list, all the serious Picture Slot candidates are younger than I am. On the older list, Barbara Billingsley and Hector Elizondo are both well-known faces, but not for genre. Last year I used Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. This year, it's Dina Mayer from Starship Troopers, still looking fetching although splattered in bug guts. Next year, while I might use the poster from Forbidden Planet in honor of director Fred Wilcox, the front runner is Heather Donohue from The Blair Witch Project.
2. Spot the Canadians! There are three actors whose resumes look Canadian, but only two actually are. See if you can spot them.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movie released
Night at the Museum released 2006
Prediction: On 22 December 2012: The alien colonization begins.
Reality: It's a good bet Chris Carter used this date knowing about the end of the Mayan calendar the day before. If they colonized, they did it very quietly and the press did not take note. It would explain what is happening to cities like San Francisco and Manhattan, but that is rank speculation and I will not indulge in it.
Or will I?
British actress Billie Whitelaw died Sunday at the age of 82. On stage, she is most associated with the playwright Samuel Beckett who described her as "the perfect actress". She is remembered here for her work in genre productions, including Merlin [1998 TV], The Cloning of Joanna May, Supernatural [1977], Space: 1999 and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV, 1968]. The picture is from her best known genre role, the evil nanny Mrs. Baylock in The Omen, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.
Best wishes to the family and friends of Billie Whitelaw, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Another prediction of the bright capitalist victor of the 21st Century predicted in Warren Wagar's A Short History of the Future.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
21 December 2014
Tom Sturridge b. 1985 (FairyTale: A True Story, Gulliver’s Travels [1996 TV])
Jackson Rathbone b. 1984 (Twilight Saga, Zombie Hamlet, No Ordinary Family, The Last Airbender, S. Darko)
Eve Mauro b. 1981 (Cyborg X, The Vortex, Zombies Vs. Strippers, Osombie, Torchwood, Land of the Lost [2009])
Daniel Brocklebank b. 1979 (Merlin [TV 1998])
Julie Delpy b. 1969 (Frankenstein [2004 TV], An American Werewolf in Paris, Younger and Younger)
Jack Noseworthy b. 1979 (Surrogates, Event Horizon, Encino Man)
AJ Bowen b. 1977 (Twisted Tales, Chillerama, The Signal)
Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine b. 1977 (Men in Black II)
Glenn Fitzgerald b. 1971 (Wonderfalls, The Sixth Sense [1999])
Khrystyne Haje b. 1969 (Stepsister from Planet Weird)
Nicola Cowper b. 1967 (Journey to the Center of the Earth [1988], Transmutations, Dreamchild)
Kiefer Sutherland b. 1966 (Touch, Melancholia, Dark City, Flatliners, The Lost Boys, Amazing Stories)
Michelle Hurd b. 1966 (Witches of East End, FlashForward, Charmed)
Fabiana Udenio b. 1964 (FreakyLinks, Babylon 5, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, NightMan, Journey to the Center of the Earth, RoboCop 2, Freddy’s Nightmares, Bride of Re-Animator)
Larry Day b. 1963 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Recon 2023: The Gaudi Prime Conspiracy, Punisher: War Zone, Superstorm, WW 3, The Hunger [TV], Nico the Unicorn, Arrival II, Laserhawk, Sci-fighters)
Jane Kaczmarek b. 1955 (Pleasantville, Apollo 11)
Devon Ericson b. 1952 (Night of the Comet, Night Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Josh Mostel b. 1946 (Brother from Another Planet)
Samuel L. Jackson b. 1948 (Cell [2016], Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, RoboCop [2014], Thor, The Avengers, The Spirit, Star Wars, Jumper, Unbreakable, Deep Blue Sea, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Exorcist III)
Jack Nance b. 1943 died 30 December 1996 (Assault on Dome 4, The Blob [1988], Dune, Ghoulies, Eraserhead)
Jane Fonda b. 1937 (Barbarella)
Rudy Solari b. 1934 died 23 April 1991 (The Powers of Matthew Star, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, The Sixth Sense [1972], Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Ed Nelson b. 1928 died 9 August 2014 (The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything, Salvage 1, Logan’s Run [TV], Gemini Man, The Bionic Woman, Houston, We’ve Got a Problem, The Sixth Sense [TV], The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, A Bucket of Blood, Night of the Blood Beast, Teenage Cave Man, Invasion of the Saucer Men. Attack of the Crab Monsters)
Ivor Dean b. 1917 died 10 August 1974 (Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde)
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I used a picture of the late Jack Nance at the title character in Eraserhead. This is one of a handful of movies where the poster is much better known that the film itself. (Other movies in this category include the original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and some now largely forgotten silent movies like Metropolis and Nosferatu.) While I often do not use the most famous names on the list in the Picture Slot, I would say the top three in terms of fame are also good choices for the Slot: Kiefer Sutherland from Dark City, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and this year's winner, Jane Fonda in her one genre role as Barbarella. My dirty old manhood can be credited as the deciding factor in this year's competition.
2. The Canadian Amongst Us. Donald Sutherland was born in Canada, Keifer was not. The Canadian on the list is Larry Day and his resume doesn't give it away.
3. Ripped from today's headlines. Michelle Hurd is the first of Bill Cosby's accusers to be noted here on her birthday since the accusation storm began. She won't be the last. Who do I believe? I'll give you a hint: I'm a mathematician.
4. I still got it, at least some of it. My memory is not what it used to be, but "it used to be" good enough to win money on Jeopardy! When I check the imdb birthday list, I check all resumes of the top ten in terms of popularity, but after that names have to "jump out at me". Sometimes the "jump" is easy, because artists get one title listed under their names before you click on their page. Listed in position #84 today was Rudy Scolari. I knew quick as a bunny he was in the Planet O' Native Americans episode of Star Trek entitled The Paradise Syndrome. I even remember he got the line "You bleed! Behold the god that bleeds!", which is the last line just before a big musical cue and a commercial break.
This is not the kind of info that racks up the big money on Jeopardy!, but when you have the combination filing cabinet/dumpster type of memory, you hold onto stuff like this because you can't figure out how to lose it. I'd also like to mention that if I hadn't found him, this would have been a no Star Trek day.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: On 21 December 2012, the people from Lunopolis return to take over the earth.
Reality: Reality? Seriously? It didn't happen.
On the other hand, I have a soft spot for cheaply made 21st Century sci-fi that have ideas much bigger than their budgets. A lot of the movies just don't work, but occasionally you'll find one where the script redeems the movie. In my opinion, Lunopolis is not one of the gems, but I'm glad I found it just because it gave me two exact date predictions.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Yet another interruption of our regular schedule for yet another exact date prediction of yet another alien invasion. What are the odds?
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Saturday, December 20, 2014
20 December 2014
Hunter Gomez b. 1991 (Just the Vampire Hunter, National Treasure)
JoJo Levesque b. 1990 (Aquamarine)
Christopher Bertolini b. 1989 (writer, Battle Los Angeles)
Bob Morley b. 1984 (The 100)
Jonah Hill b. 1983 (This Is The End, The Watch, The Invention of Lying, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Click)
Lucy Pinder b. 1983 (Strippers vs Werewolves)
Biljana Misic b. 1983 (Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge, Dracula: The Dark Prince)
Ramon Rodriguez b. 1979 (Battle Los Angeles, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Day Break)
Ragan Brooks b. 1976 (Eastwick, Charmed)
Carlos Moreno Jr. b. 1971 (Transformers, Mexican Werewolf in Texas)
Nicole de Boer b. 1970 (Reign, Haven, Iron Golem, Stargate: Atlantis, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Phil the Alien, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Cube, Poltergeist: The Legacy, TekWar, Forever Knight, Maniac Mansion)
Brian O’ Halloran b. 1969 (The Happening, Dogma)
Eduardo Sanchez b. 1968 (director, Intruders [2014 TV], From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], The Blair Witch Project)
Joel Gretsch b. 1963 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse, Witches of East End, Caper, V [2011], Push, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Journeyman, The 4400, Taken, Minority Report)
Iqbal Theba b. 1963 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Ghosts/Aliens, Frankenhood, The Tick, The Tomorrow Man, Homeboys in Outer Space, Space: Above and Beyond)
Joyce Hyser b. 1957 (The Flash [1991], Freddy’s Nightmares)
Blanche Baker b. 1956 (Hypothermia, The Handmaid’s Tale)
Jenny Agutter b. 1952 (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel’s The Avengers, Red Dwarf, Darkman, Twilight Zone [1986], An American Werewolf in London, The Six Million Dollar Man, Logan’s Run)
Claudia Jennings b. 1949 died 3 October 1979 (Deathsport, The Man Who Fell to Earth)
John Spencer b. 1946 died 16 December 2005 (Lois & Clark, WarGames, Meteor)
Peter Criss b. 1945 (KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park)
Jacqueline Pearce b. 1943 (Doctor Who, Moondial, Blakes 7, The Reptile, The Plague of the Zombies)
Angel Tompkins b. 1943 (Amazing Stories, Night Rider)
Pamela Austin b. 1941 (Twilight Zone [1964])
Kathryn Joosten b. 1939 died 2 June 2012 (Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Charmed, The X Files, Buffy, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
John Hillerman b. 1932 (Wonder Woman, The Sixth Sense)
Mala Powers b. 1931 died 11 June 2007 (Doomsday Machine, Bewitched, The Colossus of New York, The Unknown Terror)
John ‘Bud’ Cardos b. 1929 (director, Gor II, The Day Times Ended, Kingdom of the Spiders)
Nicole Maurey b. 1925 (Day of the Triffids)
Rod Amateau b. 1923 died 29 June 2003 (director/producer, My Mother the Car)
George Roy Hill b. 1921 died 27 December 2002 (director, Slaughterhouse-Five)
Albert Dekker b. 1905 died 5 May 1968 (Gammera the Invincible, She Devil, Dr. Cyclops)
Charley Grapewin b. 1869 died 2 February 1956 (The Wizard of Oz)
Edwin A. Abbott b. 1838 died 12 October 1926 (author, Flatland)
1. Notes from the birthday list. Today's list has a few household names, but as regular readers know, I look for iconic roles in genre. Being a huge Twilight Zone nerd, I chose fabulous babe Pamela Austin (pictured on the right) from the episode about beauty and conformity entitled Number 12 Looks Just Like You. Ms. Austin could fairly be called a starlet; besides this episode, her best known roles were in two Elvis pictures, Blue Hawaii and Kissin' Cousins. Last year's Slot was filled by Nicole de Boer from Deep Space Nine. Next year I might go with the cover from the novel Flatland, but if I go with a person, two British fabulous babes are front runners, Jenny Agutter from Logan's Run on Jacqueline Pearce as the main villain Servalan from Blakes 7.
2. Spot the Canadian! There's just one. Knowing Canadian genre show from last century will make it easier.
3. Fun facts to know and tell. Charley Grapewin was Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz. I'm not sure he got enough screen time to be iconic.
Several TV regulars are here but not from genre TV. John Hillerman was on Magnum, P.I., John Spencer was on L.A. Law and The West Wing and Kathryn Joosten was on The West Wing and Desperate Housewives.
The first paragraph of George Roy Hill's bio on imdb.com says he was a pain in the ass to work with and highbrow critics hated his work. Besides Slaughterhouse-Five, he also directed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Andrew Sarris can slag Hill all he wants. I liked those movies when I saw them and I still do.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: A wandering Vietnam and Nicaragua veteran battles the bad guys fifteen years after the Last War of December 20, 1989, for which a former television cowboy star-turned-president was responsible. The veteran roams the landscape in his awesomely fortified van, dubbed "the Meat Wagon," seeking vengeance on the treacherous Captain Vallone and a cure for the neurotoxin whose effects periodically debilitate him. Traveler sets two vicious gangs against each other in a town they have dominated in a dual reign of terror, then helps fight off a third gang led by Vallone. According to Thomas M. Disch's The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of, "D. B. Drumm" was originally a pseudonymn for Ed Naha, but the later volumes were written by cyberpunk writer John Shirley.
Reality: Next week will be the last use of the regular nuclear war predictions from Professor Paul Brians' database, but I will still use the occasional exact date prediction from that source, like this one. Hmm, a cowboy star-turned-president is responsible for nuclear war... I wonder who that could refer to?
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Another exact day prediction tomorrow, telling of foreboding events on December 21, 2012.
Join us then... INTO THE FUTURE!
Friday, December 19, 2014
19 December 2014
Irina Voronina b. 1988 (Piranha 3DD, Saul of the Mole Men, Hood of Horror)
Jake Gyllenhaal b. 1980 (Source Code, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Day After Tomorrow, Donnie Darko)
Maria Sokoloff b. 1980 (Meteor [2009 TV], Strange Frequency, Dude, Where’s My Car?, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Bindu De Stoppani b. 1976 (28 Days Later…)
Blake Lindsley b. 1973 (Deep Space Nine, Starship Troopers)
Joshua Bitton b. 1973 (National Treasure)
Alyssa Milano b. 1972 (Charmed, Embrace of the Vampire, The Canterville Ghost)
Rosa Blasi b. 1972 (The Grudge, Lost on Earth)
Amy Locane b. 1971 (Alien Express, Legend of the Mummy)
Kristy Swanson b. 1969 (Mimesis 2, The Black Hole [2006 TV], The Phantom, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Mannequin 2: On the Move, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [movie], Not Quite Human, Deadly Friend)
Lauren Sanchez b. 1969 (Fantastic Four, The Day After Tomorrow, Babylon 5)
Ken Marino b. 1968 (Reaper, Charmed, Angel, Gattaca)
Robert MacNaughton b. 1966 (Frankenstein vs. The Mummy [2014], E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Electric Grandmother)
Jessica Steen b. 1965 (Supernatural, Left Behind: World at War, Charmed, Stargate SG-1, Mutant X, Armageddon, Earth 2, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future)
Til Schweiger b. 1963 (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life)
Jennifer Beals b. 1963 (The Book of Eli, The Grudge 2, The Hunger [1999 TV], Vampire’s Kiss, The Bride, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Matthew Waterhouse b. 1961 (Doctor Who)
Mike Lookinland b. 1960 (The Stand, Isis)
Nancy (Loomis) Kyes b. 1949 (Twilight Zone [1985], Halloween I, II and III, The Fog)
Robert Ulrich b. 1946 died 16 April 2002 (Amerika, The Ice Pirates, Endangered Species, Tabitha, Killdozer)
Tim Reid b. 1944 (Highlander [TV])
Cicely Tyson b. 1933 (The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Ms. Scrooge)
Jack DeLeon b. 1924 died 16 October 2006 (Tabitha, The Lost Saucer)
Gordon Jackson b. 1923 died 15 January 1990 (The Medusa Touch, Supernatural [1977 TV], Scrooge [1970], The Quatermass Xperiment)
Ralph Richardson b. 1902 died 10 October 1983 (Time Bandits, Dragonslayer, Rollerball, Frankenstein: The True Story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Tales from the Crypt [1972], Things to Come, The Ghoul [1933])
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was the oldest person on the list, Sir Ralph Richardson and this year it's the second youngest, Jake Gyllenhaal from Donnie Darko. The youngest, Irina Voronina, is really pretty, but I don't think her role as Fallopia in Saul of the Mole Men really counts as iconic. Sue me.
As for next year's race, it's going to be a battle of fabulous babes, Alyssa Milano from Charmed, Kristi Swanson from the movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Jennifer Beals from The Bride.
2. Spot the Canadian! There is one and the resume definitely has Canadian tendencies. Knock yourselves out.
3. Wait... he's genre? Sometimes, I see a name I know on imdb.com and I check on it just out of curiosity. I didn't know Tim Reid was in the Highlander TV show, I just knew him from WKRP and Frank's Place, a very underrated comedy with no laugh track. Likewise, I knew Gordon Jackson from The Great Escape and Upstairs, Downstairs, and it turns out he has several genre roles I didn't know about.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movie released
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring released 2001
Prediction: [T]he next great war will be the catastrophic breakdown of the formal armies, shame and disasters, and a disorder of conflict between more or less equally matched masses of stupefied, scared, and infuriated people. Just how far the thing may rise from the value of an alarming and edifying incident to a universal catastrophe, depends upon the special nature of the conflict, but it does not alter the fact that any considerable war is bound to be a bitter, appalling, highly educational and constitution-shaking experience for the modern democratic state.
Reality: That's a pretty damned good description of World War I if you ask me. As we go through his book, there are a lot of particulars of the nature of future wars Wells gets wrong, but on this one, I will not quibble. Full marks, young Herbert, and well done.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
This weekend's regular schedule will be preempted by predictions with exact dates.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
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